DFS Alerts
Kemba Walker (knee) and Enes Kanter (hip) out Saturday
Walker has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore left knee that is also expected to keep him sidelined for at least one more game, while Kanter remains sidelined for a fifth straight game with a right hip contusion. In Walker’s absence, Marcus Smart will almost certainly receive the starting nod at point guard, and he’s coming off two recent spot starts where he was solid for fantasy purposes in at least 36 minutes of action. This means that Brad Wanamaker will step into the primary backup guard role, but he’s typically been limited to minutes in the low-20s unless multiple Boston guards are sidelined. Other than the projected increase in playing time for Wanamaker off the bench, Smart and Jayson Tatum have clearly benefitted the most with Walker and Kanter off the court, as they each own a minimum of a +3.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Jared Weiss via Twitter Other tagged players: Enes Freedom
Frank Ntilikina (groin) out Saturday; Reggie Bullock (illness) questionable
Despite originally being listed as probable, Ntilikina won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a sore groin, while Reggie Bullock is now listed as questionable with an illness. The Knicks are already slated to be without RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton, who will serve a one-game suspension, so Dennis Smith Jr. is the overwhelming candidate to receive the starting nod and absorb a large portion of the available point guard minutes, though some combination of Kadeem Allen and Allonzo Trier should serve as the backups in backcourt in some capacity this evening. Interim head coach Mike Miller tends to have Smith on a short leash, but he has the opportunity to be an elite value option on tonight’s nine-game slate, as he owns a 23.6% usage rate, a 32.6% assist rate, and is averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute with Ntilikina, Barrett, and Payton off the court this season.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Reggie Bullock High-Upside Option
There is risk with Green on any given slate just because of how the Warriors have been using him. We’ve seen him play some inspired ball lately, reaching 30+ fantasy points in three of his last five games. Ultimately, it comes down to minutes with Green. In those five games, his minutes have gone 36 > 25 > 32 > 33 > 27. The development of Eric Paschall, and the rise of Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman have led to Green’s minutes fluctuating, and sometimes it feels like it just comes down to how badly Coach Kerr wants to win the game. I think there’s triple-double upside here for Green, and at his affordable price tag, the risk is built into it. I don’t think I can trust him for cash, but I would absolutely take shots in GPPs.
Affordable Price Tag For Starting Stud
Brogdon missed two games with a concussion but returned strong last game in an overtime win against the Bulls. Most important for me is that he played 36 minutes and had a strong 15/8/93 line. I do worry that the return of Victor Oladipo will hurt him and the rest of his teammates, but the price tag on Brogdon still feels too cheap for someone with his role. Oladipo played 21 minutes last game and that will slowly ramp up, but in the meantime, I have no problem taking shots on Brogdon in all formats while his salary remains affordable. Also noteworthy is that Elfrid Payton will be out suspended for this game, so Brogdon will be facing the likes of Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. in this game.
De’Anthony Melton (hand) will play Friday
Melton has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing two games due to a sore left hand, while Brandon Clarke was already ruled out with a sore left hip. The Grizzles are already slated to be without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric due to one-game suspensions, so with Clarke unavailable, Solomon Hill is the likeliest candidate to join the starting lineup and both Kyle Anderson and Josh Jackson could assume increased roles in the second unit. Other than Hill and Anderson’s potential increase in playing time, Jonas Valanciunas has benefitted the most with Jackson Jr. and the other injured Grizzlies off the court, as he owns a 24.6% usage rate, a 20.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.36 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in a 233.9 minutes sample size with Ja Morant also on the floor.
As reported by: Omari Sankofa II via Twitter Brandon Clarke (hip) officially out Friday
As expected, Clarke has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore left hip, while De’Anthony Melton remains a game-time decision with a sore left hand that has already forced him to miss two games. The Grizzles are already slated to be without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric due to one-game suspensions, so with Clarke unavailable, Solomon Hill is the likeliest candidate to join the starting lineup and both Kyle Anderson and Josh Jackson could assume increased roles in the second unit. Other than Hill and Anderson’s potential increase in playing time, Jonas Valanciunas has benefitted the most with Jackson Jr. and the other injured Grizzlies off the court, as he owns a 24.6% usage rate, a 20.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.36 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in a 233.9 minutes sample size with Ja Morant also on the floor.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) listed out Friday
DiVincenzo has been downgraded from questionable and is listed out on the latest Bucks’ injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained left ankle, while Giannis Antetokounmpo already confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he will play after missing one game. In Antetokounmpo’s absence, Ersan Ilyasova ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was relatively serviceable from a fantasy perspective in just under 21 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Antetokounmpo, so he should be fine to handle his usual minute workload in tonight’s contest, and he continues to lead the Bucks with a massive 37.5% usage rate, 32.9% assist rate, 20.6% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.87 DraftKings and 1.83 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats on a nightly basis.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Markieff Morris (illness) listed available Friday
Morris has been upgraded from questionable on the latest Pistons’ injury report and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors despite dealing with an illness, while Luke Kennard remains sidelined with bilateral patellar tendinitis and is still without a clear timetable for a return. Morris has assumed a larger role in head coach Dwane Casey’s rotation of late, and he has been allotted at least 26 minutes off the bench in four of the Pistons’ previous five games. Morris is priced in a range on daily fantasy sites that he can be considered in tournament formats, especially since he owns a respectable 21.8% usage rate, a 10.1% rebound rate, and is averaging 0.87 DraftKings and 0.83 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Gary Harris (personal) listed out Friday
Harris has been included on the initial Nuggets’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to personal reasons that have now forced him to miss two games, while Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and Jamal Murray all remain sidelined with their respective ailments and are still without a clear timetable for a return. Harris has only been active for three games since returning from an extended injury absence, and in those contests, Will Barton ended up receiving the start at point guard on each occasion, but with Harris now unavailable, Monte Morris should receive another start at point guard but was disappointing for fantasy purposes in 32 minutes of action in Thursday’s win. Unsurprisingly, Barton, Jerami Grant, and Torrey Craig have benefitted the most with the injured Denver starters off the court this season, as they each own a minimum of a +1.9% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.07 more fantasy points per minute over their usual season-long numbers.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report De’Anthony Melton (hand) upgraded to questionable Friday
Melton has officially been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore left hand that has already forced him to miss two games, while Brandon Clarke didn’t participate in shootaround and remains doubtful with a sore left hip. The Grizzles are already slated to be without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric due to one-game suspensions, so with Clarke unlikely to play, Solomon Hill is the likeliest candidate to join the starting lineup and both Melton and Kyle Anderson should assume increased roles in the second unit. Other than Hill, Melton, and Anderson’s potential increase in playing time, Jonas Valanciunas has benefitted the most with Jackson Jr. and the other injured Grizzlies off the court, as he owns a 24.6% usage rate, a 20.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.36 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in a 233.9 minutes sample size with Ja Morant also on the floor.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Poised for a Big Role Change
Jalen Brunson is the likeliest candidate to replace Luka Doncic in the Mavs starting lineup – he did in the previous four games that Luka missed this season – and is poised for a massive role change in the All-Stars absence. While Brunson has typically been a low usage player – just a 20.1% usage rate on the season – he should find his usage rate stabilize more in the mid-20’s with Doncic off the floor and has some solid assist upside as well.
Anthony Davis (glute) available to play Friday
Davis has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite continuing to deal with a Gluteus Maximus contusion, while JaVale McGee has also been cleared to play after missing two games due to an illness. The Lakers haven’t played a game since Saturday because of the passing of Kobe Bryant, so even though Alex Caruso is a game-time decision, it’d be surprising to see him unable to suit up in tonight’s contest considering he also played through a sore neck in Saturday’s loss. Anytime Davis begins the day with an injury designation, he automatically becomes a fantastic tournament option in daily fantasy formats, and he continues to have a 29.3% usage rate, 14.4% rebound rate, 15.0% assist rate and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.49 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far, giving an achievable ceiling on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter JaVale McGee (illness) listed available Friday
As expected, McGee has been upgraded from probable on the latest Lakers’ injury report and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing two games due to an illness, while Anthony Davis and Alex Caruso remain listed as questionable with their respective ailments. The Lakers haven’t played a game since Saturday because of the passing of Kobe Bryant, so it’d be surprising to see either Davis or Caruso unable to suit up in tonight’s contest considering they also played through these ailments in Saturday’s loss. Anytime Davis goes into a game with an injury designation, he automatically becomes a fantastic tournament option in daily fantasy formats, and he continues to have a 29.3% usage rate, 14.4% rebound rate, 15.0% assist rate and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.49 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Brandon Clarke (hip) downgraded to doubtful Friday
Clarke didn’t participate in Grizzlies shootaround and is now doubtful for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore left hip, while De’Anthony Melton remains doubtful with a sore left hand that has already forced him to miss two games. The Grizzles are already slated to be without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric due to one-game suspensions, so with Clarke unlikely to play, Solomon Hill is the likeliest candidate to join the starting lineup and both Kyle Anderson and Josh Jackson should assume increased roles in the second unit. Other than Hill and Anderson’s potential increase in playing time, Jonas Valanciunas has benefitted the most with Jackson Jr. and the other injured Grizzlies off the court, as he owns a 24.6% usage rate, a 20.0% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.36 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in a 233.9 minutes sample size with Ja Morant also on the floor.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (shoulder) will play Friday
Antetokounmpo confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he will play in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a sore right shoulder that forced him to miss one game, while Geroge Hill was already ruled out and Donte DiVincenzo remains listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle. In Antetokounmpo’s absence, Ersan Ilyasova ended up receiving the start at power forward, and he was relatively serviceable from a fantasy perspective in just under 21 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Antetokounmpo, so he should be fine to handle his usual minute workload in tonight’s contest, and he continues to lead the Bucks with a massive 37.5% usage rate, 32.9% assist rate, 20.6% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.87 DraftKings and 1.83 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Kane Pitman via Twitter